Power Rangers Jungle Fury: POWER OF THE BISON
by AnimeJunkieGrrl
Summary: Everyone else has new weapons and Keenan's a bit jealous. So when a new monster invades Ocean Bluff, he becomes reckless, wanting to prove he's just as good. When a new master enters, he helps Keenan learn a valuable lesson. Post-OMTM, Pre-GOAC.
1. Chapter 1

1I know you've been waiting for the next installment. Well, here it is! This one's Keenan-centric; hope you don't mind. :) And I'm sending out loads of love for my readers (**and reviewers...hint hint. ;) **) Thanks so much for your loyalty and patience! Lemme know how I'm doing! :D

**Disclaimer:** I may not own Disney or Power Rangers...but just let me hit the Powerball lottery and things are gonna change, baby! **Hookups for everyone!** But, I get first dibs on all the hottest guys! :P

A/N: This is set after **One Master Too Many** and before **Ghost of a Chance.**

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**Power Rangers Jungle Fury: POWER OF THE BISON**

Jungle Karma Pizza: most unique animal themed restaurant in town, trendy after school hangout and secret headquarters of the Jungle Fury Rangers. In the loft above the most popular pizza parlor in Ocean Bluff, Gwen and Keenan were engaged in some weapons training with Casey, Lily and Theo while RJ was out on an emergency grocery run for the restaurant and for himself.

"Did RJ mention what he was going after?" Gwen asked with curiosity lacing her voice. The panther was engaged in a spirited match against Lily's practice bo.

"I think he said something about his cabinets running dangerously low on pretzels and dip." Theo replied as he practiced with his tonfa.

The thought of her beau going out for pretzels and onion dip made Gwen shake her head in humor. For the life of her, she just couldn't seem to remember things like Pringles and Cheetos being part of a healthy Pai Zhuq master's diet. Then again, RJ wasn't your average Pai Zhuq master. Once she dismissed those thoughts, she resumed her training with the other rangers since the fivesome decided to have an "every ranger for him/herself" sparring match. With RJ out, this was a good chance for her and Keenan to take up the mantle of "teacher" and share a few of their pearls of wisdom.

"It's like a chess match. You have to think at least five steps ahead of your opponent." And Keenan proved his point by blocking an incoming attack from Casey's practice nunchucks and Theo's tonfa with his mock katanas.

"Also, you have to be ready for anything your enemy throws at you. Underestimating your foe is the fastest way to lose a battle." The panther replied with a twinkle in her brown eyes.

In a bold move, Gwen locked her orange and black handled sais together to make tongs and grabbed Lily's practice bo with them. Then, with a twist of her body, she yanks the long weapon from the cheetah's hands leaving the blonde defenseless.

"Gotcha." Gwen taunted with a grin as she pointed her weapons at the cheetah.

"Whoa! How'd that happen?" Lily asked with her blue eyes were wide with amazement. She was quickly seeing why the panther was such a formidable fighter.

"_She's so unpredictable."_ Lily mused to herself. "Nice move!" The fair-haired cheetah chuckled with her hands up in surrender.

"Thanks. And that, my friends, is lesson number 3: know your weapon inside and out. Don't be afraid to think outside the box." Gwen added while twirling her sais.

As the boys continued to spar, Gwen's words of wisdom reached the ears of the red and blue rangers. Watching Gwen use her specialized weapon in an original way gave the tiger and jaguar ideas on how to use their own weapons.

"Think outside the box, huh?" Casey whispered to himself as he looked to his royal blue teammate.

"Not a bad idea." Theo added with a smirk.

Keenan was holding his own with his training katanas until Casey and Theo decided to take a page from Gwen's play book. The moment one of the eagle's blades came within striking distance, Casey wrapped the cord of his chucks around the mock katana and twisted it right out of Keenan's hand with Theo copying the move using his tonfa to wrench the other blade from the silver ranger's grasp.

"Nice job, you two!" Keenan praised

"I can't believe that actually worked! Awesome!" Casey said with excitement.

"I could learn to like that move." Theo marveled as he looked down at his weapons. "I never knew I could do that with my tonfa. Wow!"

"Yeah. I know we were taught how to use our weapons properly, but that doesn't mean that what we learned was the **only** way." Gwen began. "When I first got my sais, I played around with them and found lots of new ways to fight with them...most of them by accident." She added while biting her lower lip nervously.

Keenan remembered the day all too well. It was the same day he got his katanas and he was around his sister when the "accidents" took place.

"_If that's what you call an accident, I __**really**__ hate to see what you can do on purpose, sis. Good thing I have such quick reflexes."_ The silver eagle thought with a chuckle. "Yeah, you know the stone pillar in the training Quad at the academy that had all those holes?" Keenan asked with a mischievous smirk.

"Yeah. Everyone kept wondering how they got there especially since there weren't any power tools around." Casey remembered.

The eagle's cheeks puffed slightly from the laughter he kept from escaping as he pointed his thumb towards his older sister. When the primary rangers put two and two together, the threesome all had the identical bug-eyed expression. None of them could believe that Gwen was the cause of a stone pillar looking like Swiss Cheese.

"Okay, I just have one question...**how!?**" Theo asked in shock. _"And are you sure your spirit animal isn't the woodpecker?"_ He thought in amusement.

"Remember when I said I played around with my sais when I first got them?" When Gwen saw everyone nod, she continued. "Well, one time, I tried to throw them like boomerangs and, needless to say, they didn't come back. My sais kept getting stuck in the pillar like darts on a bullseye. Hence the multitude of holes." The panther grimaced.

"And I repeat...**how!?**" The jaguar reiterated.

"I didn't know my own strength back then. I've always been what people called 'heavy handed'." Gwen answered with a cringe and a chuckle. "Anyway, the whole point I'm trying to make is that there's more than one way to skin a...oooh."

The panther took an uncomfortable pause when she realized that what she was about to say involved the mutilation of her spirit species. She took offense to it and assumed that the core three would as well. And she didn't want to dishonor her adoptive father by finishing that proverb.

"Okay, bad example." The panther chuckled nervously. _"Yeah, I don't know who came up with that, but they better be glad they're already dead."_ Gwen thought as she quickly scanned her mind for a more animal-friendly quote.

"You can whoop an elephant's...yeesh!" And, again, Gwen cringed as her train of thought got derailed. _"Master Phant...right. Okay, I'm running out of options!"_ The panther thought in frustration until she came up with what she believed would be the foolproof adage. "There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's!" Gwen grinned in triumph only to have Casey, Lily, Theo and Keenan all look at her like she was late for her appointment at the insane asylum.

"What do you want from me? I was grasping at straws, here." The panther chuckled in her own defense.

"You really need to stop hanging around RJ so much. He's starting to rub off on you." Theo joked.

Hearing the jaguar jokingly cast aspersions on the time she and their pizza master spend together, Gwen picked apart Theo's last sentence and only one thought crossed her mind.

"_Actually, having RJ rub off on me might not be such a bad thing."_ She lustfully thought as she clicked her tongue. "So, what do you guys wanna do now? From what you told me, RJ could be out for a while."

Casey looked at his friends and then to the weapons rack where all the second level training weapons were stored. He scanned each item until his eyes fell on Gwen's replica kwan dao. Since meeting the soft-spoken panther, he wanted nothing more than to spar with her and test his skills against another master.

"I have an idea. How about the four of us...take on you and your kwan dao?" The red tiger challenged as he passed out everyone's second level weapons. "I wanna see you 'think outside the box' with it."

Gwen raised an eyebrow at the tiger's challenge. She had a feeling someone would spitball that idea sooner or later.

"You sure you guys want a piece of this?" Gwen smirked as she caught her training kwan dao.

While Casey, Lily and Theo all expressed their excitement at the prospect of finally sparring with the panther master, Keenan kept silent. He was the only dissenting vote but his reasons weren't what one might think. The moment Casey issued the challenge to his sister and handed out the other rangers' new weapons, the eagle's heart sank because all he had were his katanas. He was disappointed and slightly jealous, but he kept it in check so as not to bring everyone else down.

"Hey, I'm gonna go downstairs for a minute, okay? I'll be right back." The silver ranger announced before anyone could stop him.

"Um...okay, bro." Gwen answered just a little too late. Though his face didn't let on his true feelings, Gwen could still pick up on the few vibes her brother was giving off. _"I wonder what's wrong with him? It's not like him to turn down a sparring match."_ She thought in concern. For now, she put it in the back of her mind as the core three were poised and ready to spar with her. "So, you cubs ready?"

"You know it! We've been wanting to do this since the moment we met you." Lily grinned as she grasped her mock mace.

"Ditto. But I gotta warn you; this black cat's never been tamed." The panther smiled as she stood her weapon on its tapered end. "Think you got the right stuff?"

"We're up for the challenge." Theo smirked as he confidently twirled his fans.

When Gwen spun her weapon, that was the cue for the others to attack until fans, sabers, mace and kwan dao clashed in a dance of combat. The handicap sparring match waged on for a good while until Keenan returned from the JKP kitchen. His eyes looked on as his sister held her own against Casey and his crew. A sad smile crossed his lips just before he sat on the weightlifting bench just shy of where the four rangers were play fighting. Gwen successfully staved off a triple attack when her attention focused on her brother looking down in the dumps.

"The three of you keep going. There's something I need to do."

The red, yellow and blue rangers obeyed and kept sparring with each other while Gwen, with fake kwan dao in hand, strolled over to her moping brother and took the remaining space on the bench.

"What's wrong, bro?"

"Nothing." The eagle replied without raising his head to look at his sister.

Gwen gave Keenan an incredulous look. She'd known him since they were four years old and if there was one fact that she could take away from their relationship, it was that Keenan was the world's worst liar.

"_Pinocchio can sleep easy."_ Gwen chuckled to herself. "Keenan, you are a terrible liar, you know that?" When the eagle looked away, Gwen put her arm around his shoulder. "Bro, this is me you're talking to. I can tell when you're bummed about something; now spill."

"Nah; it's stupid."

"No, 'stupid' is not coming to your big sister when you have a problem." Gwen corrected in a firm, but compassionate tone. "Come on; talk to me."

With a heavy sigh, the eagle ranger turned to face his sister who was more than happy to lend an ear.

"I guess...I feel like the odd man out."

"'Odd man out'? Why?" Gwen asked in confusion.

The young eagle stalled as he contemplated the outcome of giving his answer. Either his sister would sympathize with him or she was gonna think he was acting like a spoiled brat.

"Because you guys all have new weapons and I still have my katanas." The eagle whispered. When Gwen just stared at him with no emotion on her face, Keenan looked away again. "See? I told you it was stupid."

This was a part of Keenan nobody knew about...except for his sister and Master Mao: he was always his own harshest critic.

"Actually, bro, it's not stupid at all."

"How do you figure? I mean, you and the others got new masters and you each got a cool new weapon to use. What am I, chopped liver?"

"No, of course not. I know you feel like you're on the outside looking in, but you shouldn't." Gwen turned her brother around so they were face to face. "Keenan, you're as much a part of this team as I am or anyone else in this room; new weapon or no weapon." When her brother shrugged his shoulders indifferently, Gwen knew she had to go Master Mao on him. "Bro, weapons don't win battles; warriors do."

Though she hadn't lived long enough to be even looked at as a seasoned veteran of life, she still managed to drop science and give some sage advice. Apparently, she did that quite often because her brother turned to face her with a look of playful annoyance.

"I **really** hate it when you're right...and sounding like Dad just makes it worse." The eagle chuckled.

Gwen beamed with pride when Keenan compared her to their adoptive father, Master Mao. Since adopting the two of them as his own, he always gave them great advice.

"Good. It means I'm doing my job." The panther sibling smiled. "Keenan, for all we know, your new master and weapon could be waiting for you just around the corner."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. And, if not, you could always place an ad in the Yellow Pages." Gwen giggled making her brother feel better. "Seriously, if it's meant to happen, it will. Just let things come as they may." Her smile fell just a tad when she heard Keenan groan.

"Translation: wait." The silver ranger grumbled.

"Yes; 'wait'." She answered with a roll of her eyes. "I know that's not your strong suit, but think of it as a life lesson. Plus, it'll be that much more special when it finally happens. Kinda like Christmas."

All Keenan could do at this point was hit Gwen with a look that said _"know-it-all sister say what!?"_

"You do realize that bringing up Christmas doesn't make waiting any easier, right?" He smirked.

"Point taken." Gwen chuckled as the siblings hugged. "Now, if you're done looking like your spirit animal is the Basset Hound, how about joining us in some sparring? You can pair off with Lily." She teased with a wink.

The moment she mentioned the yellow range's name, Keenan looked over his shoulder to see Lily skillfully wielding her mace, her blonde ponytail whipping gracefully around her face as she held her own against her red and blue teammates. Throughout the mock battle, the cheetah's pretty face maintained her trademark smile. Lately, everything the blonde ranger did made the eagle's heart warm and the more he discovered they had in common, the more he fell for her. After a few moments of admiring the yellow ranger from afar, Keenan turned to face his sister with a look that told the panther that her tactics to con her brother into doing what she wanted had won out...again.

"Using a guy's crush to make him do what you want. That is low."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Yes, but it was** still** low." Keenan smirked playfully.

"I know. That's why I did it." Gwen laughed as she led her brother to the mat where the others waited.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_**Meanwhile, at Dai Shi's lair...**_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The black lion stormed into his throne room as livid as he could be. On two separate occasions, the rangers avoided elimination and, on top of that, they gained two more powerful weapons. With every step he took towards his throne, he grew angrier and angrier until he was ready to unleash all of his pent up frustration on the first unlucky soul to cross his path. Word had quickly spread about Dai Shi's foul mood and every underling went into hiding...except for one. And that one would soon regret not using her inherent skills to her advantage.

"**Camille!"**

Camille nearly jumped ten feet into the air when she heard her master bellow her name. The sound alone echoed throughout the corridors and the wily lizard wished to the deities above that she didn't walk into the throne room at that exact moment.

"Yes, Dai Shi?" She stammered.

To her horror, her master stood up and slowly stalked towards the shaking chameleon until he was able to gaze menacingly into her eyes.

"You better have a very good reason why the rangers aren't destroyed yet." Dai Shi growled as his form towered over hers.

"Um...uh...okay. Give me a minute." Camille said as she tried to think of a viable excuse. She didn't know what was going to come out of her mouth; she just hoped whatever it was didn't get her sent to the Spirit World.

"May patience is wearing thin, Camille!"

Any minion knows that when the big boss is impatient, you're two seconds away from being annihilated. Fearing for her life, Camille spouted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Um...birds and hermit crabs make inferior warriors?" The chameleon answered in the form of a question.

"Watch who you call 'inferior', you wretched lizard!"

The ornate doors opened and Carnisoar and Jellica walked in; both, of whom, looked less than pleased with the outcome of their latest bids to rid themselves of the Power Rangers.

"Passerina and Crustaceo may have failed, but they still proved to be more valuable assets to our cause than you!" The Sky overlord yelled.

"Your days are numbered, Camille! If you don't want to end up like the lyre bird or my warrior, I suggest you come up with a solution!" Jellica warned.

The crafty lizard recalled how Passerina, Crustaceo and every one of Dai Shi's warriors were soundly defeated at the hands of the rangers and didn't want to make the same kind of exit...at least not until she exacted her revenge on a certain feline.

"I just might have something that can turn things around for us." The clever reptile chimed.

"And that would be..." The avian master prodded.

Camille gave the Sky and Sea overlords a sneer before producing an Egyptian beetle idol from a silk bag.

"_Just wait, you pompous windbag. You and that hagfish will wish you were never resurrected."_ Camille wished before pitching her idea to the room. "Beetles of this caliber are second to none in the insect world when it comes to strength." She spied a wandering rinshi and beckoned him to come forward. When he did, she placed the idol on his forehead and waited for the minion to transform. "Allow me to introduce...Scaraboss!"

"Hmm. He **looks** impressive, but as we all know, looks aren't everything." Carnisoar said, his comment pointed directly at Camille.

The red rinshi showed off his inhuman strength by punching through one of the walls of the throne room as if it was made of cardboard. It was a move that made Camille cringe in fear believing that Dai Shi would severely reprimand her for her warrior's mistake.

"Yeah, how do ya like that!?" Scaraboss grunted with a thick Brooklyn accent. "Those puny rangers won't last ten rounds with me!"

Sensing that she would have to run damage control, in more ways than one, she ran towards the demolished wall and spread her arms as wide as she could.

"See how powerful he is?" Camille chuckled nervously as she tried to cover up the gaping hole.

"If he manages to be successful in taking out the Power Rangers, I'll overlook his attempt at redecorating my throne room." Dai Shi promised. "But, if he fails..."

"He won't fail you, Dai Shi. I'll see to that."

"For your sake, you better."

That was all the encouragement Camille needed. Not wanting to overstay her welcome, she grabbed Scaraboss by the arm and dragged him with her out of the throne room.

"Why you put up with that lizard's constant bumbling is beyond me." Jellica commented as she took her leave.

"Jellica's right. It's that level of incompetence that could prove to be disastrous to us in the long run." With that warning, Carnisoar followed the lavish jellyfish out of the main chamber, leaving Dai Shi with much to think about.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_**Back at the loft...**_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

RJ came back from his grocery trip with paper bags in both arms. With a huff, he set both bags on the island in the middle of his kitchen when the sounds of battle reached his ears. When he looked over the railing, he was surprised to find his students and Keenan in a spirited sparring match against Gwen.

"_Oh, when did she get here? Not that I'm complaining."_ Thought the pizza chef as he watched the panther train with the others.

Over the past few months, RJ and Gwen had grown very close. So close, in fact, that they were on each other's minds nearly all the time. Or, they would have been if other things like work and saving the world didn't get in the way. Today was no exception. The moment the Pai Zhuq master laid eyes on the panther's sleek form, everything else on his mind took a back seat as he focused on every detail: from how good she looked in her new training gear to how her body flowed with her practice weapon. Not a single twist and turn she made went unnoticed by the lovestruck pizza chef who decided to make his presence known.

"Nice form, Gwen. Your angles are looking really good." RJ commented with his ever present swagger. _"Your curves aren't too shabby, either."_ He thought wistfully.

The rangers paused as they heard RJ's voice coming from above them and Gwen couldn't resist flirting with him a little.

"Well, thanks for noticing." Gwen replied with a sweet smile.

The banter between the wolf and the panther made the other rangers cease their sparring momentarily. Seeing them act in that manner was sweet, but on the other hand, the way they were dancing around each other made everyone bonkers.

"_Oh, when are you two gonna kiss already? And I'm talking lip-on-lip action."_ Lily thought impatiently to herself with folded arms.

"_That's the best line you could come up with? You disappoint me, RJ."_ Theo mused with a light shake of his head.

"_If anybody here thinks he's just looking at her 'angles', I've got some swampland on the moon I'd like to sell ya."_ Keenan wondered silently.

"_Angles...yeah, right."_ Casey scoffed in thought as he rolled his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling it's not her _angles_ you're looking at?" The tiger asked smirking.

"My young tiger, I don't know what you're talking about." RJ chuckled.

Of course RJ was lying through his teeth. He knew exactly what Casey meant; he just wasn't going to give the red tiger the satisfaction of admitting he was right. As everyone got ready to put their practice weapons away, the alarms blared loudly. Keenan was the first to reach RJ's tv area and when he saw the images appear on screen, he was visibly appalled.

"Guys, there's a monster attacking the docks!"

Casey and the others gathered around the viewing area where they, too, caught sight of the creature causing mayhem at the docks.

"It looks like a giant beetle! Gross!" Lily cringed.

"And it looks like Camille and her backup dancers are tagging along for the ride. No big surprise there." Gwen scowled.

"Let's go squash this bug." Casey ordered.

Before RJ could turn his eyes back to his screens, five rangers swung through the tunnels en route to the scene of the latest attack. At Ocean Bluff Pier, a fully transformed Scaraboss was hurling fully packed loading crates nearly ten times his size at the dock workers while an armored Camille and her throng of rinshi attacked them as the ran past her.

"That's it! Tuck your tails between your legs, ya wussies! Run away like the cockroaches ya are!" Scaraboss cackled.

"Keep going! I want Dai Shi to gain so much power, he won't know what to do with it all!" The wily chameleon barked as she terrorized any human that got too close. She was having the time of her life until she heard Casey's voice ring out above the screams.

"That's far enough, Camille!"

"Oh, no. Not them again." Camille groaned under her breath as the rangers arrived in their morphed forms. "You guys are worse than ants at a picnic."

"What did you expect? We're the good guys!" Gwen shot back.

"You have a choice-you can either leave walking or we can squish you and use a squeegee." Quipped the Silver Ranger confidently.

Camille was fuming and was about to engage the rangers when large beetle took a break from hurling crates to calm down his scaly superior.

"Chill out, Camille. I was hoping for more targets for my version of dodgeball!" With a sinister cackle, the hulking insect grabbed two crates from a conveyor belt and hurled them at the rangers with the strength of an Olympic shot putter. "Think fast!"

"Incoming!" Theo shouted as he and the others dodged out of the way by jumping and flipping over the wooden projectiles. Once they landed on their feet, Keenan saw this as a prime opportunity to prove that he was just as good as the others...even without a new weapon at his disposal.

"As an eagle, I don't usually rip into bugs, but for you, I'll make an exception! **Jungle Katanas!**"

"Keenan, wait!" Gwen shouted.

But her plea fell on deaf ears as the eagle charged blindly into battle. The only thing Keenan had on his mind was taking out this bug and being the hero to his friends and family. But his plan met with some resistance as Scaraboss effortlessly fended off the Silver Ranger and shoved him back into the others.

"Ya call that weak display an attack, pipsqueak? You can't be serious!" The large beetle scoffed as Keenan propped himself back onto his feet. "Oh, man...you **were** serious! It feels like you're hitting me with feather dusters instead of swords, kid!"

Now, Keenan prided himself as a pretty cool-tempered guy. Not too many things sent him off the deep end, but hearing Scaraboss belittle his strength...now he crossed the line.

"Keep talking and you're gonna get dusted, all right.!" The eagle threatened as he went in for another assault. Unfortunately, the end result was the same as, once again, Keenan was thrown into his friends like a bowling ball.

"Come on! Flit could hit harder than that! And he's a flyweight in every sense of the word!" The bodybuilding bug teased.

"Keenan, let us help!" Theo pleaded as he and the others slowly got out of the pile they were in.

"Stay out of this...all of you." Keenan ordered in a low voice.

"But, Keenan...you can't..." Gwen began as she grabbed her brother's arm to pull him back. To her shock, the Silver Ranger violently yanked it out of her grasp before turning to face her.

"**I said stay out of it!"**

The other rangers were taken aback by Keenan's outburst...nobody more than Gwen. As long as they knew each other, he had never raised his voice to her. Seeing as how talking wouldn't do any good, Casey and the other rangers reluctantly stepped back to let the eagle hash out any issues he seemed to have.

"Eagle, huh? The way you were acting just then, your spirit animal should have been the donkey!" Scaraboss taunted. Seeing the frazzled state his opponent was in, the beetle flexed his mighty biceps in a show of dominance. "I could do this all day, my little chickadee! Actually, you remind me more of a pigeon!" Seeing that the eagle's feathers were ruffled, the hulking beetle decided to add insult to injury. "Oh, yeah...I went there."

The Silver Ranger hands gripped the hilts of his katanas so tightly, the others could swear they could see his knuckles turn white under his gloves.

"**Pigeon!?** Oh, that is **it!**"

Seething with anger, the eagle summoned what was left of his strength in a last ditch effort to topple the buff beetle. He swung his katanas with every bit of skill he had only to have Scaraboss block the blades with his arms. Thanks to his tough exoskeleton, this task was easy. When he was confident that Keenan was running out of steam, the large bug took a three-point stance and speared the Silver Ranger into the pavement.

"Keenan!" Shouted his friends as they ran to his aid.

"Houston, the eagle has landed...flat on his back." Scaraboss mocked as he stood in triumph. "I thought you said these guys were tough, toots. This was a piece of cake."

"You okay?" Casey asked as he helped his friend up.

"Just give me one more crack at him!" The eagle urged as he struggled to get up.

"Okay, I'm bored now. Let's blow this pop stand and hit the gym. You wanna spot me, Camille?" The beetle offered as he flexed.

Usually, the only reason chameleons associated themselves with bugs was to eat them. But since this one proved to give the rangers a rousing defeat, she decided to spare his life...for now.

"_If I chopped you up into little pieces, you'd be enough to feed me for a decade."_ She fought hard to keep from licking her lips in front of her champion as she spoke. "Why not. I wouldn't mind getting in a workout." Chuckled Camille as she left with her newest warrior.

"Get back here and fight me!" Keenan yelled after the departing pair.

"Get in a few reps with the barbells and **then** call me, Junior. I don't give rematches to lightweights." With that, Camille and Scaraboss vanished leaving the rangers to wallow.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_**Back at the loft...**_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Five rangers glumly trudged down the steps to the training area where RJ was mulling over what he witnessed on the viewing screens. Casey and company were less than overjoyed with what happened as they licked their wounds. Keenan, who had emotional wounds as well as physical, was mentally beating himself up for getting knocked around so easily in the last fight.

"Keenan...you know I love you like a brother...but you have to be the most stubborn person I've ever met." Gwen stated simply.

Hearing the only family he has left on the planet call him stubborn shocked him to his core. How could she say something like that to him?

"What are you talking about!? How was I stubborn?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about charging in like a madman when we don't know the enemy's level of strength? You could have been seriously hurt...or worse!" Gwen answered back with genuine concern in her voice.

"_Way to be supportive, sis."_ He thought. "Look, if you don't think I can handle this, then just say so!"

As the siblings argued, RJ and the other rangers were each having conflicts of their own: either let the brother and sister have it out with each other or step in and run damage control. Either way, something had to be done.

"I never said anything like that, Keenan!"

"You might as well have because you're attacking me like I did something wrong! I'm trying to save mankind here!"

Lily despised infighting more than anyone in the group and decided to diffuse the situation before someone blew up...and in turn, say something they'd later regret. She went to Keenan and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, hoping that their growing bond would calm him down.

"Keenan, she's not attacking you. She just worries because she cares about you; we all do." She said in a soothing voice.

In a way it worked...but not how Lily intended. Keenan had calmed down, but only enough to gently take her hand off of his shoulder and face her.

"If she really cared, she'd stop jumping down my throat for what I was trying to do." After he was done addressing the fair-haired cheetah, he turned his attention to his adoptive sister. "Sis, in case you haven't noticed, the training wheels came off a long time ago and I've been standing on my own two feet pretty well. So, why are you trying to put them back on?"

"Keenan, I'm not..." Gwen was trying to defend herself but her brother wasn't going to let her.

"I know **exactly** what you're not! **You're not my mother; so do me a favor and stop acting like it!**"

The pained look on Gwen's face said it all. Keenan's caustic words cut her deeper than the sharpest of blades and watching him storm out of the loft in a huff was the final knife through her heart.

"Keenan!" Theo shouted angrily after the eagle. "Get back here and apologize!"

"No...let him go." Gwen sadly opposed as she walked up to the kitchen area and sat at the table.

Of all the things the two shared in common, the loss of both their mothers was their darkest. With her knowledge of Keenan's past and how abusive his father was after his mother's death, she tried to fill the void as best she could. She knew she could never replace his mom, but she did want to be someone he could come to for anything. Inside, the black panther was broken. No, "broken" wasn't a strong enough word...**"shattered**" was more like it and everyone in the room was irate because the cause of the panther's sadness was the one person Gwen cared about the most.

"What do you mean 'let him go'?! He had no right to say that to you!" Casey stated angrily as he and the others joined her in the kitchen.

"Guys, it's alright." Gwen replied as she retreated to her "quiet" demeanor.

"No, it isn't. He was way out of line!" Lily agreed with the tiger.

At that point, Gwen opted not to respond to the cheetah. Instead, she laid her head on top of the table with her folded arms acting as a pillow. Of course, they raised some valid points regarding Keenan's behavior; she wasn't going to deny that. But they didn't know Keenan the way she did. She knew, deep down, that he didn't mean a word he said and that he'd soon come to grips with it. Still, it didn't lessen the sting his words delivered or the affect they had on the panther master. Nobody felt worse for Gwen than RJ who took a seat next to his lady friend and gently rubbed her shoulder with his right hand.

"You okay, Gwen?" He asked sincerely. With a nod, he motioned for Casey to grab a bottled water from the fridge and give it to the black ranger.

"Here." The tiger offered.

"Thanks." She accepted as she took a sip. "And to answer your question, RJ, I'm okay."

The black ranger's lips may have said one thing, but her heart said something entirely different and RJ picked up on it immediately.

"Are you sure? Because you look like you're about to break down any second." The concerned Pai Zhuq master contested.

"I know I do, but I really am fine."

Unfortunately, Casey wasn't so easily swayed. Whether it was physical or emotional, he hated to see his friends in pain and the fact that it was her own brother that made her so sullen only made the young tiger more determined to put things right.

"That's good because I was just about to invite Tahj to a hunt and your brother was going to be the prey." There wasn't one iota of sarcasm in Casey's statement; he was dead serious.

"Mind if I invite Cita and the kids? I'm sure Makomba and Sapphyri would love a hunting lesson." Lily offered.

"Olmec, too?" Theo eagerly asked.

As Gwen listened to the teen rangers' rants, she could understand their anger towards her brother. If the shoe was on the other foot, she probably would think the same thing. On the other hand, she was disappointed that they would immediately turn into a lynch mob without knowing the whole story behind Keenan's outburst.

"Guys, please. I know you're upset over what Keenan said to me and I appreciate your concern. But, he just needs some time to cool off." Gwen let out a long sigh before continuing. "Trust me when I say I've been through this before and I know how he is."

RJ, who kept a cool head throughout his students' hunting party preparations, gave Gwen a comforting smile that reached his green eyes. She had no idea what it was about his eyes that made her problems melt away when she looked into them, but she wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.

"_Oh, those eyes. I could have the worst day in the world and all I'd have to do was look into your eyes and everything would be fine again."_ She thought wistfully as she looked to her other friends. "Guys, just please give him the benefit of the doubt...for me."

Gwen didn't need to hear RJ's answer; in her heart, she knew that he'd do anything in the world for her.

"Dudes, Gwen does know Keenan better than we do. So, if she wants us to give him time to let things sink in, I don't see any harm, do you?" RJ grinned as he posed his question to his three pupils.

The three teens exchanged uncertain looks amongst themselves. They didn't feel that Keenan deserved any compassion after what he said to Gwen, but he was her only living family and that reason alone spared the eagle from their wrath.

"Okay; we'll cut the guy some slack. But **only** for you." Casey replied speaking for his teammates.

"Thanks. That's all I ask."

"All I have to say is he better do some major league apologizing to you when he gets back." Lily added as Theo nodded in agreement.

The tension in the loft was still present. Not only did they have deal with Keenan storming out and leaving their forces crippled, there was still the matter of a 6 foot scarab beetle causing mayhem in Ocean Bluff they had to contend with. And if he could make short work of the eagle, what could he do against the others?

XXXXXXXXXXXX

End of Chapter One

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Okay...harsh much, Keenan? Not the right way to talk to your big sister. He better hope the other rangers don't follow through with their threats, otherwise the big cats at the Animal Hospital are gonna feast. Hope this wasn't too long a chappie...or maybe it wasn't long enough. Lemme know. :) And, like last time, there is another chapter coming...**right now! ** :D So head on over and check it out...I'll be waiting! As always, **read, review and pass it on!**


	2. Chapter 2

LOL! As promised, here's chapter two! As we speak, I'm working on chapters 3 and 4 and the next chapter of _**Love Across Time**_, so stay tuned! :D

**Disclaimer:** Okay, I didn't win Powerball which means I still don't own Disney or the PR franchise. Maybe if I held the CEOs hostage...hmmm. If I was in charge...**more than 32 episodes per season!!!**

XXXXXXXXXXXX

After leaving the loft, Keenan found himself in the one place where he could be alone to think: the beach. He loved the aroma of the salty breeze, the sounds of sea birds flying overhead and feel of the spray coming off of the waves as they crashed against the shore. Overall, they were calming surroundings, but memories of the fight that happened back at the loft kept it from being completely serene. What weighed on his mind the most were the harsh words he said to his only sister.

**[Flashback]**

"_**Sis, in case you haven't noticed, the training wheels came off a long time ago and I've been standing on my own two feet pretty well. So why are you trying to put them back on?"**_

"_**Keenan, I'm not..." Gwen was trying to defend herself but her brother wasn't going to let her.**_

"_**I know **__exactly__** what you're not! **__You're not my mother; so do me a favor and stop acting like it!"_

**[End Flashback]**

As long as they have been friends, they have never done anything more than the occasional teasing and bickering that most brothers and sisters experience. But the things he said to Gwen at the loft were more than just hurtful. Every step he took was as heavy as his heart as the painful image of his sister's face kept haunting him.

"Oh, man! What have I done?" He whispered to himself. "I can't believe I said those things to Gwen."

The eagle kept walking until he spied a discarded beach towel spread out on the sand. Not having the energy or the desire to keep walking, Keenan sat on the brightly colored cloth and looked out to the waves. Their fabled soothing effect fell short as more thoughts invaded the Silver Ranger's mind.

**[Flashback]**

"_**Keenan, you're as much a part of this team as I am or anyone else in this room; new weapon or no weapon." When her brother shrugged his shoulders indifferently, Gwen knew she had to go Master Mao on him. "Bro, weapons don't win battles; warriors do."**_

**[End Flashback]**

"'Warriors do'." Keenan echoed the last two words silently. "Hmmph. Some warrior **I** am. I rush into battle unprepared, I shut my team out, and worst of all, I yell at Gwen and walk out on her and my friends. They were just trying to help." He said to himself, his voice filled with regret. Feeling the intensity of the guilt, the eagle put his face in his hands and let them run over his short hair.

"I never meant to hurt them, especially Gwen. I wish I could just take it all back."

Keenan was so busy wallowing in his own self pity, he failed to notice footprints mysteriously appearing behind him as they ventured closer. Once they were close enough, the being the prints belong to materialized with a smirk.

"Aww, is the little canary upset about something?" Camille taunted.

The familiar voice snapped Keenan out of his stupor long enough for him to stand and take up a defensive stance. He couldn't believe that didn't sense her presence.

"Look, Camille! I don't have time to fool with you right now!"

"Now, that is a shame. I thought that after your last humiliating defeat you'd want to tangle with an easier opponent. I think fighting a girl would be more your speed since you obviously can't take down stronger foes alone." She provoked. She was going to take advantage of Keenan's frazzled state of mind and eliminate him before he could call for reinforcements.

"Bring it, bug breath!" The Eagle challenged.

With a sneer, Camille let out a battle cry before charging in. The silver eagle obliged as he and the chameleon immediately trade punches and kicks with reckless abandon. As expected, Keenan's mind set was scattered and unfocused giving Camille a distinct advantage. She patiently waited for Keenan to let his guard down long enough for her to land a definitive strike. Using her tongue as a snare, she wraps up the Silver Ranger like a mummy and flings him down the length of the beach until he lands flat on his back.

"That was beyond pathetic! I didn't even work up a sweat!" Camille snarled as she leapt closer to her victim. "Time to clip your wings for good, little birdie!"

A dizzy Keenan could barely move due to the force of the fall and as the chameleon closed in for the final blow, two bronze colored blurs whiz over Keenan's head and slam into Camille knocking her away from the grounded eagle.

"What was that!?" The lizard growled.

The very same question plagued Keenan as well. Noticing that the blurs came from behind him, he turned around until his eyes fell upon a figure standing on a nearby hill.

"Whoa! Who's that?" He questioned.

The spinning blurs flew from Camille and were now headed for the large form standing atop the sandy embankment. With a giant leap, the shadow flipped through the air and caught the whirring entities in mid flight before landing in front of a dumbfounded Keenan. Now that the man was in sight, the eagle could clearly see what an imposing figure he cut. He had a muscular physique and was roughly the same height as Master Swoop if not a couple of inches taller. His skin tone was a darker shade of chocolate than Keenan's and his bald head complimented his overall look.

"Who are you?" Keenan asked awestruck.

The large man turned his head and looked down at Keenan with a smile.

"I can't believe you forgot me that quickly, Keenan." The man chuckled as he helped Keenan to his feet. "I'm Master Bise. Holder of the Bison spirit." When he saw that Keenan still didn't recognize him, he added a detail he was sure would jog the eagle's memory. "I'm the guy you fought against during your Master's test."

"No way!" Keenan gasped as he finally remembered. "I didn't recognize you without your moustache. You bulked up since then."

That wasn't the only thing that changed since Keenan last saw Master Bise. Before, the bison master's attire was reminiscent of a Shaolin monk. Now, his clothes reminded Keenan of a Native American warrior with the vest that showed off the Pai Zhuq tattoo on his right arm and the symbol of his spirit animal on the back, buckskin pants and fringed moccasin boots. Of course, being an animal lover, none of the articles were made of dead animals.

"I was due for a change." The bison master grinned. "But we can catch up later. Are you okay?"

"I guess so. Thanks for the help."

Camille was dusting herself off while the two masters were talking to each other. She looked Master Bise up and down and tried to keep her air of dominance intact.

"Love the outfit. But you got in a lucky shot." Camille challenged. "I dare you to try that again when I'm ready."

"Well, little lady, I hope you're ready to throw down right now! **Jungle Axes!**"

The sinewy master held his pair of axes until the sharp, bronze blades reflected the sunlight. Not wanting to give the bison holder the satisfaction of knowing that he's making her uncomfortable, Camille transformed and called for her sais to do combat. Compared to the size of Master Bise's Jungle Axes, her sais looked like those tiny plastic swords that get stuck in cocktail weenies, but that didn't diminish her resolve.

"I hope you're secure enough in your manhood to take getting beat by a girl." Camille quipped as she took her stance.

"And I hope you have the number of a good plastic surgeon because you're gonna need him after I'm done with you." Master Bise shot back. "Actually, you need one **now**, but..."

Keenan had to hold in his laughter as Master Bise insulted the stealthy lizard. Camille was livid as yet another ranger took it upon themselves to take a pot shot at her.

"We'll see who needs a surgeon!"

As she did with Keenan, Camille charged into battle with Master Bise who, despite his muscles, fought with great agility. As the fight intensified, the wily chameleon found out the hard way that her beefy opponent was surprisingly nimble.

"_How can someone built like him move so fluidly?!"_ She asked herself while trying to keep her guard up.

Finding an opening, the bovine master used his bulging forearms like horns and knocked the overconfident lizard face first into the sand. The force of the blow was enough to make Camille power down out of her green armor.

"_That was incredible!"_ Keenan thought to himself.

"Um, what was that you were saying about beating me?" The bison master asked with a smirk. The sight of Camille spitting sand made him and Keenan laugh.

"Ugh! How dare you!" The chameleon screeched as she dusted herself off again. "This isn't over, Bird Boy! And you...you better watch your back or you'll be just as endangered as the bison you represent." She warned pointing at Master Bise.

"Anytime, lady. Anytime." Master Bise winked jokingly.

"Hmmph...dream on, cow boy!"

With a roll of her eyes, Camille turned sharply and vanished as she walked away from the pair of masters.

"I must be slipping." He chuckled before turning to the younger master. "So, what brings you all the way out here...and all alone?"

The young eagle master wasn't sure whether he was ready to let the skeleton out of his closet just yet. He was, however, comfortable enough to crack the door open just enough to satisfy Master Bise's curiosity.

"Um...I came out here to do some thinking." Keenan replied not looking Master Bise in the eye.

"I see. You do look upset about something." He replied simply. He could tell that Keenan wasn't exactly lying, but he could also tell that he wasn't telling the whole truth, either.

"It shows, huh?"

"Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what's written all over your face." Master Bise joked. "Why don't we take a walk?"

The eagle nodded and obliged his new master. Soon, the pair was strolling down the sandy coastline as waves crashed over their feet. Keenan felt that walking with someone to talk to could prove more fruitful than taking the trek alone. Master Bise had a slight inkling of what was grating at the eagle and decided to break the ice.

"So, what happened? Did you lose a fight? Or have a fight with someone?"

All Keenan could do was stand there flabbergasted. In a matter of seconds, Master Bise pinned down what was troubling the young eagle.

"_Okay, are you psychic or something?" _He thought to himself. "Actually...both happened."

"Wanna talk about it? I've been told I'm a good listener." Master Bise offered. "Besides, I can tell there's more to this story."

Keenan froze in place when he heard the bovine master's astute observation.

"Okay, you're seriously starting to freak me out." The eagle said giving Master Bise a confused look. "But, yeah. Truth be told, it started earlier today. Gwen and I were doing some weapons training with the other rangers when Casey suggested that we use our new weapons against Gwen's kwan dao." The silver ranger paused to let out a heavy sigh because he didn't want to let on the real reason he was feeling bummed. "I guess I got a little bit jealous."

The bison spirit holder was now beginning to understand the real underlying problem, but he still felt that the young eagle was keeping something from him.

"Jealousy can be a dangerous emotion. It can blind even the most focused of warriors." The bison Master explained.

"Does it also cause you to snap at your own sister who you now realize was only trying to help?" Keenan asked, his voice laced with remorse.

Master Bise could only let out a heavy sigh. He, like all the other Pai Zhuq masters, had known Gwen and Keenan since their arrival at the academy. They all watched them grow up before their eyes and hearing that Keenan and Gwen had a fight really disappointed him.

"Keenan..."

"I know what you're going to say and you're right. I shouldn't have yelled at Gwen like that." The eagle lamented. When he looked up at Master Bise, it was clear that he was disappointed in the younger master.

"This is very troubling, indeed. You two never fight...I mean **never**. Bicker, yeah, but never fight." Master Bise had a handle on part of Keenan's problem, but was convinced that there were more pieces to this puzzle. "Something else is on your mind, isn't it?"

It was like the bovine master had the ability to probe into Keenan's innermost thoughts. The only other people he knew who could do that were his sister and his father. Maybe he was more of an open book than he first thought.

"Uh huh." _"Man, he's almost as good as Dr. Phil. Either that or I need to work on my poker face."_ Keenan thought to himself.

"I'm listening."

Keenan looked out to the ocean where he spied a pod of dolphins swimming across the waves. Watching the family of dolphins wasn't an attempt to calm himself down as much as it was a chance for him to come to grips with what was really bothering him. After taking his time, and a deep, cleansing breath, he finally turned to spill his guts to Master Bise.

"I guess I feel just like Atlas. There were times when I felt like I'm carrying this massive weight on my shoulders, when I always think I'm the only person who needs to save the world." Keenan began. "Since becoming a Power Ranger, I feel like the whole world is counting on us."

"There! You just said it...**'us'**." The bison master explained. "Keenan, you have to realize that you're not alone in this. You have your sister and your fellow rangers behind you every step of the way."

Keenan slowly nodded as Master Bise's words were starting to hit home.

"Now, tell me what happened after your last battle."

Averting eyes, slumped shoulders, deep grumbling...Keenan's body language basically told Master Bise what he needed to know. Whatever happened after the rangers' last battle was something the eagle wasn't feeling particularly proud of.

"Long story short, I lashed out at my sister." The eagle confessed partially. He still wasn't ready to let Master Bise in on everything.

"_That still doesn't explain why you yelled at your sister in the first place. Something had to have happened between the weapons training and after the battle to trigger your fight with her and I need to get you to come clean...somehow."_ Master Bise thought to himself with concern. "That really wasn't a smart thing to do. You know that, right?" The bison teacher asked with a stern tone.

"Yeah, I know now. And I'm sorry." Keenan replied remorsefully.

"That's good to hear, but I'm not the one you need to apologize to. Am I?"

The heavy sigh the Silver Ranger let out was enough to let Master Bise know that Keenan thought he was right.

"No. I just felt like I let everyone down when I got beaten so easily and that they were criticizing me because of it."

"I know how that must have felt, Keenan. But, you need to remember that we Pai Zhuq masters must maintain our focus at all times, even when saving the world from Dai Shi." Master Bise imparted his wisdom hoping Keenan could open his eyes and share what was really going on. "Losing your focus can cost you much more than just a battle. When that happens, someone could end up seriously hurt...like your sister, Gwen. You don't want that, do you?"

That question was enough to make Keenan look the older master in the eyes. The eagle realized that he'd already hurt the one person he cared about the most by saying those things to her. The thought of losing his only family in battle...that was too much for the Silver Ranger to bear.

"No! Of course not!" Keenan spoke firmly. "If Gwen or any of my friends got hurt because of my actions, I'd never forgive myself."

"_Okay, this is a good start."_ The bovine master thought with a knowing smile. "Well, if you're willing, I'm here to help." Master Bise offered.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

"Good. First things first. We need to get to the root of your problem...the **real** root." The bison master ordered.

"_Why do I get the feeling this isn't gonna be easy?" _Keenan groaned in thought.

The pair continued to walk down the coastline to Master Bise's training grounds where Keenan would hopefully open up about his true problem.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_**Back at the loft...**_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The tension in the loft was diminishing, but it was still palpable. Casey, Lily and Theo were still smoldering over Keenan's uncalled for outburst but kept it in check for Gwen's sake. RJ was able to keep the vibe in the loft at an even keel thus far, but his concern for Gwen's well-being was his utmost priority.

"What do you think Keenan's up to now?" Theo asked as he fiddled with his tonfa.

Lily, who was falling for the eagle, was a little torn. Her feelings for him were still there but they were completely mixed up due to his fight with his sister.

"I honestly don't know. Personally, I hope he's cooling off somewhere."

While the blue and yellow rangers were engaged in their own conversation, Casey looked to the upper level of the loft where Gwen was still sitting at the kitchen island. Though her face was slightly hidden from view, he and RJ could tell that she was still very upset. Neither wanted to see her mope so they walked up the stairs and tried to console the melancholy panther.

"Penny for your thoughts?" The pizza chef asked as he put his arm around her shoulder.

The black ranger looked up to see the warm smile and caring green eyes of RJ staring back at her. Giving a sad smile, she spoke.

"Just thinking about Keenan." _"And worrying about him."_ She thought as she let her head rest on her folded arms. "You know, this isn't the first time he ran out like that."

"Really?" Casey asked in surprise.

Gwen nodded lightly in response to Casey's brief query. With a soft sigh, she lifted her head off of her arms and looked at the young tiger. Her soft, brown eyes let the red ranger and the wolf master know that the previous fight with her brother still troubled her.

"Yeah. It happened when he and I were training under our dad during our third year at Pai Zhuq. Dad was teaching us a difficult technique, but as we ran through it, Keenan was struggling...

**[Flashback]**

_**Summer at Pai Zhuq Academy. For most students, summer meant no school, but when you're a student at Pai Zhuq, that's not the case. Nobody found this out faster than Gwen and Keenan who were used to the three month break when they were living at the orphanage. They soon learned the most important lesson the martial arts school had to offer: evil didn't take a vacation and neither did their training...and train they did. The siblings, now ten years old, were running to the courtyard where they were meeting up with their favorite teacher: Master Mao. The kids cherished any time they spent with their adoptive father, whether they were working on a new move or just being a family. On this particular sunny day, Master Mao was planning on teaching his children some difficult techniques he felt they were ready to tackle. Seeing his kids wave as they ran to him as he stood under the canopy of the large oak tree made the cat master smile.**_

"_**Hi, daddy...um, Master Mao..." Gwen stammered. Despite being at Pai Zhuq for three years, she was still confused about whether it was acceptable to call Master Mao "daddy" when he was teaching them something. Sensing her confusion, the head master chuckled.**_

"_**You can call me 'daddy' when we train, Lotus. You and Keenan have earned that privilege." He smiled.**_

"_**So, what are we learning today?" The young eagle asked as he bounced on the balls of his feet.**_

_**Master Mao chuckled at the level of enthusiasm his children seemed to generate. He, too, loved spending time with them every chance he could.**_

"_**I thought that you two would be ready to learn a technique that has been passed down from head master to head master for generations." Master Mao began with a smirk. "But, perhaps you're too young for something so advanced. I could teach this to one of the older students..."**_

_**Master Mao turned to walk away expecting the two siblings to react.**_

"_Three...two...one..."__** He smirked as he counted off in his mind. He couldn't resist teasing them.**_

"_**No!" The kids shouted as they gently grabbed his arm.**_

"_**Don't you dare, daddy!" Gwen giggled.**_

"_**Yeah, we can do this!" Keenan urged.**_

_**Master Mao could only laugh. Gwen and Keenan may have been gifted children, but they were still children when it came to them wanting to show everyone that they were grown up enough for the more advanced techniques.**_

"_**Okay, okay. I'll teach you." The cat master agreed. He gently motioned for Gwen and Keenan to give him some room so he could go through the motions. "Now, watch carefully."**_

_**The sibling pair stood and watched as their father performed an amazing kata that was a mix of hard and soft styles. Hard punches and kicks were intertwined with fluid movements as Master Mao finished up. Gwen and Keenan were both stunned at the level of agility their father possessed and a bit frightened that he was expecting them to execute such a complicated routine.**_

"_**You want us to do that!?" Keenan asked in amazed shock. "I dunno if I can pull that off, but I'm willing to give it a shot."**_

_**Gwen had a mix of fear and excitement on her face as she watched Master Mao perform the kata. In most daughters' eyes, their father could do anything; Gwen felt lucky that she had a father who really could do anything.**_

"_**That was wicked! When do we start?" Gwen wondered aloud.**_

_**Master Mao never felt more proud of his children. In the three years they have been at Pai Zhuq, they've shown everyone that they weren't your average kids. No matter the task, the twosome put in everything they had into it and more. Feeling confident that they would pick up the kata quickly, Master Mao answered his passionate daughter.**_

"_**Right now."**_

_**Over the next few weeks, Master Mao went through each step with his children and altered their form when needed. Gwen picked up the moves very quickly and her form was near perfect while her brother struggled. This prompted Master Mao to spend extra time with his son and give the frustrated eaglet additional tutoring which the paternal master didn't mind. It was nearing the end of the first month of summer and the time had come for Gwen and Keenan to show their father how far they've come in learning the new technique.**_

"_**Okay, let's see how you're coming along." Master Mao ordered gently. "I want the two of you to go through the technique together."**_

_**Gwen was anxious to start; Keenan, on the other hand, was just anxious. He knew he wasn't progressing as quickly as his sister and he worried that he'd look foolish in front of his family. Both siblings bowed to their father and went through the technique in unison. Keenan faltered quite a bit throughout the kata which shook his confidence. Once they were finished, Master Mao approached his daughter and gave the panther cub an affirmative nod and smile. As he approached Keenan, the boy an through his mind what his father might say to him in regards to his execution of the kata.**_

"'_You need to practice more.' 'Why can't you be more like your sister?' 'Maybe this was too hard for you.' I know he's gonna say that to me."__** Keenan thought glumly as Master Mao stepped forward.**_

"_**Keenan..." He began.**_

"_**I screwed up! I know, dad!" Keenan blurted out.**_

_**His father and sister were both surprised by Keenan's outburst; neither one expected him to blow up like that and Master Mao hadn't even said anything to warrant it.**_

"_**Keenan, I wasn't going to say anything of the sort." The feline master defended.**_

"_**But you were thinking it, right? Because I was. And you're right!" The eagle's frustration was evident in his voice as he continued. "I just can't get the moves right!"**_

_**Master Mao hated to see his son come down on himself so hard. He was going to tell him that he was doing just fine and that not everyone was a quick study.**_

"_**My son, you shouldn't judge yourself so harshly." Master Mao consoled. "A technique this difficult takes time to learn."**_

"_**Not for Gwen. She had it down almost the first week."**_

_**The panther listened to the words being exchanged between her father and brother and felt bad that Keenan thought he wasn't good enough because she mastered the kata so quickly.**_

"_**Bro, you shouldn't compare yourself to me or anyone else." Gwen replied compassionately.**_

"_**She's right, Keenan. You were doing just fine."**_

_**As hard as they tried to convince Keenan that his progress wasn't as bad as he thought, All the eaglet heard was more criticism.**_

"_**No, I wasn't! Dad, you saw me! I can't do this!"**_

_**Before Master mao and Gwen could stop him, Keenan ran from the courtyard and through the front gates into the forest. The panther hung her head and sighed as she watched her brother bolt from the premises.**_

"_**Is he gonna be okay, daddy?" The young kitten asked quietly.**_

"_**Of course, Lotus." The cat master reassured as he kissed his daughter on her forehead. "I need to have a talk with your brother, though. Now, I want you to stay here while I go look for him, okay?"**_

"_**Okay."**_

_**Ruffling her hair playfully, Master Mao ran down the same path in search of his son. As beautiful and lush as the forest was, it was dense enough to conceal a small boy; especially one whose spirit animal was comfortable in the leafy canopy.**_

"_**Keenan?!" He shouted as he walked down the forest path. "Keenan!"**__ "Where are you?"__** He thought with worry.**_

"_**Go away!" A small voice ordered.**_

_**Master Mao followed the voice until he reached a large tree.**_

"_**Keenan?"**_

"_**I said, go away!"**_

_**Hearing that the voice was coming from above, Master Mao looked up into the sprawling limbs and saw Keenan sitting atop a thick branch with his legs dangling. The fact that the boy was so high up nearly made Master Mao go crazy.**_

"_**Keenan! How on Earth did you...eagle spirit, right." Master Mao said as he remembered his son's animal totem. "Son, just talk to me."**_

_**It did amuse Keenan slightly that his father forgot that he had gift of flight like Master Swoop, but he was still feeling morose about today's training session.**_

"_**Dad, I really don't wanna talk right now." The eaglet protested as he stared off into space. "And, no, I'm not coming down."**_

"_**Fine. Then, I'll just have to come up there."**_

"_**Dad, there's nothing you..." Before he finished his sentence, Keenan cast his eyes down to the forest floor and was astonished to find that his father wasn't there anymore. "Huh!? Where'd he go?"**_

_**He was about to look through the treetops for his dad when he was nearly startled off of his branch. It turned out that his father was now sitting next to him.**_

"_**Whoa! How did you get...oh, yeah, cat spirit." The eagle responded with a scrunched up mouth making his father chuckle.**_

_**Master Mao may have been an expert in the martial arts for many years, but when it came to being a father, he was still a novice. This was just as much a learning process for him as learning the kata was for Keenan.**_

"_**Want to tell me what that was all about back there?" The feline guru prodded gently.**_

"_**Not really."**_

_**To prove his point, Keenan propped his elbows on top of his knees and rested his head in his hands. In an attempt to get his son to open up, Master Mao mimicked Keenan by placing his own elbows on his knees and his head on his own hands. The young eagle then began to swing his legs which Master Mao also copied. This was a tactic that he often used when Keenan and Gwen were younger. He would copy whatever movement the children made until they laughed; that would break the ice long enough for him to talk to his kids. This went on for a few minutes before Keenan looked over to his father and saw that he was in the exact same position. In his eyes, seeing his father act like him didn't look right...which was exactly what Master Mao was going for. A chuckle from Keenan turned into a giggle until both he and his father were laughing.**_

"_**I needed that, dad. Thanks."**_

"_**It's what fathers do." Master Mao answered with a warm smile. "Now, let's talk. What happened back there?"**_

_**Keenan fidgeted uneasily as he struggled to put into words how he felt. Frustrated, inadequate, worthless...that was how he felt. The problem the eagle had was trying to put the words together in a way where he didn't come off as whiny.**_

"_**I failed." Keenan replied simply as he kept his gaze from his father. **_

_**Master Mao listened to his son as he opened up to him.**_

"_**Dad, you saw me. I got so many of the moves wrong. I already looked like a klutz and doing the kata next to Gwen just made it worse." The young eagle sighed before continuing. "I'm happy that she got it so quickly; I am. I just wish I was as good."**_

_**The feline master sympathized with his adoptive son. The young eagle was going through what most of the students went through: self doubt.**_

"_**Son, I know how you feel, but you shouldn't be so hard on yourself." The cat master started. "Everyone goes through a time when they struggle with things, whether it be training or some other endeavor. Believe it or not, I was in the same position you're in now."**_

_**Keenan's eyes widened slightly. He had a hard time believing that Master Mao, the best martial artist in Pai Zhuq, had problems learning his craft. So much so, that Keenan could only come up with the following response:**_

"_**Shut up."**_

"_**No, I'm serious." Master Mao answered with a chuckle. "I was about your age when I first started out and...let's just say I was no Tommy Oliver. I was very clumsy as a kid."**_

"_**You? Clumsy?" Keenan asked in disbelief. "I don't believe it. You're awesome now!"**_

"_**I wasn't always, Keenan." Master Mao grinned at his son. "I was so awkward when I started, I thought I'd never be as good as the others. I even contemplated giving up and going back home."**_

"_**Really?"**_

_**All Master Mao could do was nod at his inquisitive son.**_

"_**Yes. And I was two steps away from walking out the front gate when I started thinking." When he saw that he had his son's undivided attention, he continued. "I thought about the teachers, my classmates, my family...and how they all believed in me. And about how I'd be letting them down..."**_

"_**Because you couldn't get the techniques right?" Keenan interrupted. "Because that's just how I feel. I feel like I let you down."**_

"_**No. Because I was giving up. Not only was I letting down everyone who had faith in me, I was letting myself down." Master Mao scooted closer to his son and put an arm around his shoulder. "Son, you could never let me down because you fail at something. As long as you try your hardest, I'll always be proud of you."**_

_**It was then that a light bulb went off inside Keenan's head. His dad was never criticizing him, he was trying to encourage him...mostly because he saw a little of himself in the young eagle. Not getting the technique right was moot point as far as Master Mao was concerned but Keenan giving up altogether, that would let him down even more.**_

"_**So, you really were a klutz when you were my age? No kidding?" The young boy asked, still not totally buying the story.**_

"_**Really. You can ask Master Finn." Memories of his awkward stage flooded back and they made him laugh. "You wouldn't believe how many bruises I got from falling over. And don't get me started on the board breaking class." When he saw Keenan cringe, it made the feline master laugh even more. "Don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to practice. I mean, look at me. I'm the top master but I had to work hard for years and years."**_

"_**And years, and years, and years..." Keenan teased. When his father gave him the raised eyebrow, the young boy laughed. "Sorry, dad. But you walked right into that one."**_

_**Again, All Master Mao could do was laugh.**_

"_**So, are you willing to try again? You don't want to be shown up by your sister, do you?" The cat master asked with a smirk. He knew there was no better motivation for Keenan.**_

"_**No way! She may be my older sister, but I can perform that kata ten times better than her! Just watch me!"**_

"_**That's my boy." Master Mao grinned proudly. "Now, let's get down from here and go back to the academy."**_

_**The young eagle nodded and gave his dad a small smirk.**_

"_**Race ya down!"**_

_**Before the feline guru could gather himself, Keenan used his inherent spirit's ability to swoop down to the forest floor. Once he touched ground, he heard a voice.**_

"_**What took you so long?"**_

_**Keenan whipped his head around and was floored when he saw his dad standing proudly next to him.**_

"_**What...how did...you were just..." Keenan stammered incoherently. "How did you get down here so fast?"**_

"_**Son, no matter how long you train here at Pai Zhuq, that's one thing you'll never be able to do...beat your old man in a race." He winked making Keenan chuckle.**_

"_**We'll see." The eagle smirked back. **__"Still, that was so wrong, dad."__** Keenan thought with a smirk.**_

"_**Indeed. Now, speaking of your sister...you can come out now, Lotus."**_

_**Keenan looked around for his sister. When he could find neither hide nor hair of his sibling, Master Mao directed Keenan's head to a bush that was shaking. Moments later, Gwen's head poked out followed by the rest of her body.**_

"_**Um...hi, daddy." Gwen greeted with a small wave.**_

_**In his mind, Master Mao chuckled at his little girl's disobedience. He knew it was because she was worried about her brother so he wasn't too upset.**_

"_**Lotus? What did I tell you before I left?" Master Mao asked with folded arms and tapping foot.**_

"_**To stay at the academy?" When her father nodded sternly, Gwen decided to plead her case. "But, daddy, in my defense, I was worried about Keenan and I wanted to..."**_

"_**Eavesdrop?" Keenan jokingly interjected.**_

"_**No...well, yeah." Gwen replied with a scrunched face. "It's not entirely my fault. I have a cat spirit and cats are naturally curious. But, on a serious note, Keenan, you're not gonna put yourself down anymore, are you?"**_

_**As much as she liked teasing her brother, she did genuinely care for him and wanted him to be as proud of himself as she was of him. Keenan could feel that his sister was sincere.**_

"_**No, I'm gonna give my all from now on. Promise."**_

"_**Swear like a bear?"**_

"_**Two times square."**_

_**The two children performed their special handshake and ended with a pinky swear and a hug. This was a special ritual the pair did to cement any promise between them. The display warmed the feline Master's heart as he watched his kids behave in such a manner.**_

"_**Good. Because it's no fun being the better fighter if you just bow out." Gwen smirked.**_

"_**Hold on! You are not the better fighter! You just got lucky." Keenan scoffed.**_

"_**When you're this good, luck has nothing to do with it." The panther added as she buffed her nails against her uniform.**_

_**Keenan could only grin at his confident sister.**_

"_**Right. How about we race back to the academy? Loser gives up their dessert to the winner for a week."**_

"_**You're so on!"**_

_**Both siblings giggled as they took a running stance in the direction of the school's front gate. Master Mao stood behind his children as he waited for the countdown.**_

"_**We go on the count of three." Keenan suggested.**_

"_**Okay." Gwen agreed with a smirk. "One...two..."**_

_**As Keenan stupidly kept his stance, Gwen ran full sprint ahead of her brother.**_

"_**Three!" The panther cub shouted in laughter.**_

"_**Cheater!" Keenan shouted as he started running. "That is so not fair, sis!"**_

"_**All's fair in love and chocolate cake, little brother!" Gwen laughed as the pair were now neck and neck.**_

_**Master Mao stood in the middle of the forest and watched his children's forms shrink as they ran further away from him.**_

"_If only someone had written a handbook on parenthood."__** The feline master thought to himself as he shook his head in humor and made his way back tot he academy. Never, in his years at Pai Zhuq, did he think bringing up kids would be harder than fighting evil.**_

**[End Flashback]**

"He was always his own worst critic." Gwen admitted with a sigh. "I wish he'd realize that he could never disappoint his friends."

After hearing Gwen's story, RJ and the other rangers now had a deeper insight regarding Keenan's blowup. The anger the threesome of teens was harboring slowly dissipated and was now replaced with compassion.

"Wow. I had no idea." The pizza master whispered.

By this time, Theo and Lily had joined the others in the kitchen area.

"It all makes sense now." Theo mused quietly.

Lily, who was confused about her feelings for the eagle, was now filled with worry. In his state of mind, Keenan could get into some serious trouble.

"I never knew Keenan felt like that." Lily whispered to herself. _"I just hope he's okay."_ The blonde cheetah thought.

"I can kinda relate to Keenan." Casey began as he stood at the end of the island. "I was going through the same thing my first week as a cub. It was the same week Theo, Lily, and Jarrod were chosen to be the guardians of Dai Shi's box. I didn't think I stacked up to them as far as fighting was concerned, but your dad saw something in me and chose me to replace Jarrod as the leader. I guess that's why I try so hard; I don't want let my team down...or your dad."

Gwen sighed and gave the red tiger a reassuring smile.

"You could never do that, Casey. If it makes you feel any better, after seeing you in action, I know my dad made the right choice."

"Thanks, Gwen. That really means a lot coming from you." Casey smiled back, his confidence getting a much needed boost. "While we're on the subject of struggling, is there anything** you** struggle with?"

The panther shifted in her seat uncomfortably. There was something that she just couldn't get the hang of and after learning about Lily and RJ's passion for it, she thought she'd be laughed out of the loft.

"Actually...there is something." The black ranger began as her eyes scanned the room for something to look at besides her friends. A few minutes of awkward silence passed before Lily attempted to pump the panther for more information.

"So, are you going to tell us what it is?" She asked with a grin.

"Nope." Gwen quickly replied, her brown eyes focused on the monkeys decorating the oven door.

"Aw, come on; tell us. It can't be that bad." Theo prodded gently.

"_Oh, yes, it can."_ The panther thought embarrassed. "I...mmfm mfmfmm mfmfmfm." Gwen mumbled as she counted the lines in the kitchen floor. _"You'd have a better chance stealing gold out of Fort Knox. Nothing's gonna make me tell you." _She thought.

The foursome exchanged confused looks among each other as Gwen muffled her answer. The Pai Zhuq master could tell that she wasn't going to relinquish her secret shame willingly, so he decided to turn on the charm. In the few months the two had known each other, the pizza chef had discovered the secret of getting the panther to do pretty much anything he wanted. Gwen's personal kryptonite was, ironically, the same color as the fictional mineral: RJ's green eyes. He knew that all it would take was for her to look into his eyes and she'd be putty in his hands.

"_They haven't failed me, yet."_ The wolf master thought confidently to himself.

RJ walked to the kitchen island and sat next to her as she kept her gaze fixated on the grain patterns in the hardwood. His jade orbs fell on the unsure expression gracing her lovely face. It amazed him how someone, who could be so seductive and confident one moment, could look so innocent and shy the next. It was her complex personality that the pizza chef found most attractive.

"_She looks so adorable like this. Kinda like a little teddy bear."_ He grinned to himself.

He watched as Gwen turned her head slightly to the left to keep from catching sight of any part of him. He knew that if she saw even a hint of him, she wouldn't be able to resist looking at the rest of him...which was what he was banking on. RJ propped his right arm on the table and then leaned his head on his hand. The Pai Zhuq master kept his focus on the panther as he waited for her to slip up.

"Um, could you say that again? We didn't quite catch that." RJ replied with a chuckle.

The black ranger could feel his eyes on her; they were beckoning, almost daring her to look into them. For most people, the feeling of someone watching them is an unnerving one, even haunting. For Gwen, it was just as haunting, but for an entirely different reason. It scared her how easily a look from RJ would distract her from whatever she was thinking or how the sound of his voice could always bring a smile to her face even when she felt like crying. And she didn't even want to think about how his touch made her melt. As it was, Gwen was fighting to keep from looking into RJ's eyes, but the tall, lupine master just had an animal magnetism she couldn't resist.

"_Don't look...don't look..."_ She chanted to herself in her head. _"If you look into those gorgeous green eyes of his, you can hang it up! He's got you!"_

As she kept mentally chanting her mantra of "don't look", her brown eyes wandered slightly until they landed on his propped arm. From there, it was just a matter of time until her chocolate pools traveled to his handsome face and it was just as she feared. Once their eyes locked, Gwen knew she was done. The crooked grin RJ had on his face reached his eyes, making the green in them sparkle even brighter, which, in turn, made him even more attractive.

"_Gotcha."_ The wolf master smirked inwardly to himself.

Gwen just sat there, nearly catatonic. The only way you could tell that she wasn't a statue was the quiet gasp that escaped from her throat. Casey's face sported a knowing smirk because he remembered seeing that self same expression once before; it was the day when he and his friends met Gwen for the first time and her appearance rendered their boss and mentor speechless. The little detail wasn't lost on Lily and Theo as they, too, wore identical smirks on their faces. The panther didn't want to let on that his eyes had such an affect on her, that they mesmerized her so. But she could tell from the laughter radiating within RJ's jade eyes that he knew, and it was that thought that made a slight rosy tinge show through the milk chocolate skin on her cheeks.

"_And this guy was single before he met me? I don't see how! Those eyes just draw you in!"_ She thought as she caved in. "Okay, I'll tell you! The truth is...I can't dance."

A hush fell over the four tenants when they heard Gwen's admission. The next sound heard within the loft was the sound of the panther's forehead meeting the tabletop. She knew that her brother's other passion, besides being a ranger and animals, was dancing. And when she found out that Lily and RJ shared the same interest, Gwen felt like an outcast.

"Go ahead. Laugh it up. I can take it."

"Why would we laugh?" Theo asked with confusion. "That's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Well, it's not so much you as it is Keenan, Lily and...RJ." Gwen replied, her head still glued to the tabletop. _"Especially RJ. I know he loves to dance...and I'm a klutz off the battlefield. On the dance floor, I don't trip the light fantastic...I just trip." _She thought with a groan.

If only she could see RJ's face when she revealed that she thought he'd be ashamed of her lack of dancing ability. He did have a slight grin on his face, but not because he found her admission amusing. In reality, the lupine master thought that the way she was reacting to her own personal shame was...cute. To him, she looked like a little kid admitting to her mom that she stole a cookie from the cookie jar. He didn't care that she couldn't dance; to be honest, he was more than willing to teach her himself since the opportunity would give them more time to spend with each other. He was about to extend the offer when the blonde cheetah beat him to the punch.

"Gwen, we'd never laugh at you for that. Nobody's good at everything." Lily smiled as she lifted Gwen's head which was now sporting a small lump. "Ouch. Remind me to get you an ice pack. Anyway, if you really want to learn how to dance, Keenan and I could teach you. And I'm sure RJ would **love** the chance to show you some moves." She added with a grin, deliberately stressing the word "love".

Gwen and RJ's hearts both skipped a few beats when the yellow ranger uttered the four letter word. The Pai Zhuq master was slightly embarrassed at Lily's attempt to play matchmaker...especially since it wasn't necessary. Once Gwen stopped focusing on that and started to mull over Lily's offer for dance lessons, she shot the blonde teen a weird look that told the men in the room that the cheetah may have bitten off more than she could chew.

"_You have no idea what you, RJ and my bro just signed up for, Cheetah Girl." _Gwen thought. "Invest in steel toed shoes...fair warning."

"Thanks for the heads up." The blonde ranger giggled before her expression turned serious. "Now, if only Keenan could sort through **his** problem."

The four remaining rangers and the Pai Zhuq master hoped that Keenan could break through his period of self doubt in time to take out Ocean Bluff's new threat.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

End of Chapter Two

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Do you realize that this was 20 pages on my WP app? I wonder what the character limit in is? But, wow! Who knew Keenan felt like that? And another new master makes the scene. At least Keenan feels bad for running out on his friends. Okay, guys, You know the drill. Read, **review** and pass it on! Who knows, maybe a certain adorable cheetah cub might make another appearance...maybe. Leave me some love and I might be able to swing it. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Guys! I am SO SO SOOOOO sorry this took so long. I won't go into details about what's been going on in my life but I'm back and I hope I haven't lost all my faithful readers! So... whaddya say, ON WITH THE FIC!

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**Disclaimer:** As usual, I don't own ANYTHING Power Rangers related! That is all!

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at Dai Shi's lair...

The feline lord waited rather impatiently for his right hand lizard to appear with a progress report.

"Where is she?" Dai Shi grumbled.

"Even Camille should be competent enough to take down one lone ranger." Carnisoar scoffed. "But then again, this is Camille."

"Are you saying you doubt her abilities?" Dai Shi asked his master.

"She has a vendetta against the black ranger and yet she still hasn't brought her head on a silver platter." Jellica smirked. "Perhaps we are writing of the young lizard too quickly. There is an off chance that she has succeeded..."

At that precise moment, Camille materialized slightly battle worn from her encounter.

"For your sake, I hope you have favorable news." The Sky Overlord warned.

Camille's face had the look of contempt as she gazed upon Carnisoar. But, for now, she kept her intense hatred of him and Jellica close to the vest.

"Indeed, I do." She nodded.

"First, tell us if you defeated the Silver Ranger." Jellica prodded.

"Well..." The wily chameleon stalled. "Well, I did have him dead to rights... but..."

"But you failed!" Carnisoar boomed. "One single ranger and you couldn't even destroy him! It wasn't even that accursed black ranger you complain about so much!"

"The Silver Eagle has a reckless streak that I'm sure we can use to our advantage. Just give me another chance!" Camille pleaded.

"And why should we do that?" Jellica asked skeptically.

The tension between Camille and the overlords was reaching a fever pitch and a voice of reason stepped in to cool things off... hopefully.

"Maybe I can give the little lady a hand." Scaraboss interjected.

Dai Shi and the two overlords looked at each other with slightly more confidence in him than they ever did with Camille.

"Well, you did have arguably more success with the rangers than... her." Carnisoar glared at Camille.

"Aw, don't be to hard on Sugar Britches." The hulking beetle chuckled. "She's the brains of our little team; I provide the muscle." He said striking a body builder's pose.

"You're giving her too much credit." Jellica insulted.

"Be that as it may, how do you plan on turning the tide in our favor?" Dai Shi asked.

"Well, ya see, I got more than just the loaded guns workin' for me!" Scaraboss gloated. "I got a special power those punks can't stop!"

"And that would be..." Dai Shi asked.

"See that rinshi over there lookin' like he's waitin' for a taxi? Just watch!"

Scaraboss's horn began to glow and as the hard exoskeleton opened up to reveal his wings, everyone figured he'd blow the rinshi away... but they were in for a shock. A low buzzing was heard and, in a flash, thousands of tiny beetles flew from Scaraboss' back and swarmed all over the helpless rinshi. The undead minion tried to swat them away, but it was no use. Slowly, but surely, his energy was sapped and he fell to the ground.

"See? They don't stand a chance!" Scaraboss gloated.

"Astounding!" Jellica exclaimed.

"Indeed. I'm impressed." Dai Shi smirked. "Camille, take Scaraboss and deliver the knockout blow to those rangers!"

"Of course, Dai Shi." She bowed. She grabbed her partner by his horn and left the throne room.

"Hey, watch the horn! It's precious cargo!" Scaraboss whined.

"Quiet or it won't be the only limb on your body that I plan to snap off!" Camille threatened as the continued on their quest.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile...

Waves crashed along the shoreline as Master Bise led Keenan to his training grounds in a grassy clearing. Before the bison master could put the young eagle through his paces, he had to do some digging.

"Okay, now why don't you tell me everything that happened during your last battle." Master Bise instructed. Keenan, however, didn't feel like recounting the worst defeat he ever experienced, but if it would do some good, he'd try anything once.

"Well, we were facing this monster who called himself Scaraboss and the dude is strong. I mean wicked strong!" Keenan recalled.

"Alright, what did you all do?"

"After Scaraboss threw all sorts of junk at us, I charged in with my katanas." The silver eagle said truthfully. "The others told me to wait, but I just ignored them."

"Why did you do that?"

This was when a moment of regret hit him as the visions of the their training in the loft and the fight flooded his mind.

"Because I felt like I had something to prove to the others." Keenan said quietly.

"And that was..."

"That I wasn't a weakling. I wanted to show them that I could save the world even though I didn't have new weapons like they did."

When Master Bise heard Keenan's admission, he let out a soft sigh and his head shook lightly. He was slightly disappointed at his student's thought process, but he did understand.

"Ahh, I see now." He began. "You were jealous."

"I wouldn't go that-okay, yeah, I was jealous." Keenan nodded in shame.

Master Bise placed a hand on the young ranger's shoulder.

"Keenan, you have nothing to be jealous of." He explained. "Weapons don't make the fighter. It's the other way around."

"You sure you didn't touch base with my sister, because she told me the same thing."

"Should have listened to her." Bise smirked.

"Can we change the subject?" Keenan cringed. The last thing he wanted to hear was that someone else thought his sister was right.

"No, because you need to hear this." Master Bise stressed. "You guys are a team and just because some of your teammates have new weapons doesn't mean they're better than you. No one person's more important than anyone else; not even the leader."

"Are you kidding?" Keenan asked incredulously. "The leader's like the whole backbone of any team. Without him, there's nothing. Never mind the fact that they get the best gear."

The bison master folded his arms and snorted just like his animal spirit.

"You may have the spirit of an eagle, but you have all the stubbornness of a bull. And, technically... that's MY animal!" Master Bise joked. "I'm gonna have to knock some sense into you... figuratively. Look... Casey may be the leader but... and I need you to listen carefully to this part... he can't do it alone! He needs all of you as much as you need him. And if that doesn't convince you, look at you and your sister."

Keenan thought about master Bise's words and when he brought up the relationship between him and Gwen, he just became more confused.

"I don't understand. What does this have to do with me and Gwen?"

"Because you two are the best kind of team-you're family." Master Bise began.

"Doesn't help when the sister is better at her little brother at almost everything."

"'Almost everything'. I happen to know that you can do something she can't." The muscular mentor smirked.

"Like what?"

"She can't dance." Master Bise revealed.

Keenan's brown eyes widened when his teacher spilled the beans about his sister's shortcomings.

"No way! Really?"

"Really. Why do you think she always stands by the wall during parties?" Master Bise asked.

"But, why didn't she tell me she couldn't dance? I could have taught her."

"Maybe because she was ashamed." The bison mentor surmised. "Can you imagine telling someone who loves to dance so much that they can't even do the Funky Chicken?"

"She shouldn't be ashamed of that. I mean, so she can't dance; I won't hold that against her. I'm not gonna think any less of her because of..."

Then a pang of realization crossed Keenan's face and Master Bise just smirked as the proverbial light bulb finally turned on inside the young eagle's head.

"Man, I am so beyond dense!" Keenan groaned as he face palmed himself.

"Do you get it now?" Master Bise asked. "It's not about who has better weapons or who's a better dancer or any of that. What matters most is that you don't look down on people because they don't have what you have and vice versa. That can break down a person's confidence faster than any sword. Did Gwen ever do that when you were training as kids. Even now, did she ever put you down?"

"Well... no." Keenan replied. "In fact, after we got back to the loft, she was more worried about me getting hurt than anything. And during our last training session, she tried to convince me of the same thing we're talking about now. She was trying to be..."

"Supportive?" Master Bise interrupted.

"Okay, I get it now. She was trying to make sure I didn't lose faith in myself... the best way she knew how. By being my know-it-all sister." Keenan chuckled. "Man, this eagle's gonna be eating some big time crow when I get back."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." The bison mentor nodded with a smile. "And now that you have learned an important life lesson... the real training can begin."

Master Bise went to his knapsack and reached inside. He pulled out a couple of orange and black training axes and handed them to the silver eagle.

"Whoa, nice!" Keenan gasped.

"With the power the real ones put out, they better be." Master Bise chuckled as he pulled out his own axes. The handles were solid mahogany with metal distal tips like Gwen's Kwon dao. The silvery blades were sharper than a razor's and had the figurehead of the bison on the blunt side. "Now, the Jungle Axes have the power to slice through anything like a hot knife through butter. You just need total focus and confidence in yourself or they won't even cut paper. Watch."

Master Bise looked over at his targets: two large boulders. The mentor eyed the one on the left, gripped his axes and chopped the large monolith like Paul Bunyan on crack. Biceps flexed and sinews strained with each swing as the top half of the boulder was quickly reduced to pebbles. Master Bise stepped back to his original spot and gripped the axes until the blades began to glow. With a loud roar, Master Bise hurled his dual axes at the remaining boulder fragment. The weapons spun with blinding speed before they criss-crossed in mid air and sliced the rock with the flash of an X finishing the move. Keenan was about to say that nothing happened until four slabs of rock slid to the ground. When Keenan went to examine them, he found that the surfaces where they were cut were as smooth as glass.

"WHOA! That was awesome!" The eagle exclaimed.

"Thanks." Master Bise nodded as his axes flew back to him. "This is where the focus and confidence come in. Your eagle style is all about grace and technique. My Bison style... is raw power-pretty much the polar opposite of your style. To master these weapons, you have to dig deep channel everything you have. Are you ready to do that?"

"More than ready!" Keenan nodded as he held his axes.

"All, right! Let's begin!"

Both Keenan and Master Bise began their rigorous training. The eagle heeded his mentor's advice and brought everything he had to the training. Since power wasn't something he was accustomed to, he had to really focus. Also, the training axes weighed just as much as Master Bise's own axes so Keenan was definitely getting a workout.

"Geez! No wonder your arms are so huge! These things weigh a ton!" Keenan groaned.

"They only feel like that because you're not used to them yet, but you will be." The muscular mentor reassured. "Now, I want you to use your axes on that boulder. Just like I did before."

"Okay, but I don't think orange and black styrofoam can stand up to that!" Keenan said as he pointed to the boulder.

"And this... is where your confidence comes in." Master Bise smirked. "You don't know what you're capable until you try. Remember, it's not the weapon..."

"It's the warrior." Keenan finished. He thought back to their training session and how Gwen used her sais in a way never seen before. If she could do that... maybe he could do something just as amazing. Just as with master Bise, Keenan's axes began to glow and he hurled them at the boulder with every bit of strength in his body. But, in a twist, he channeled some of his eagle energy into them as they spun towards their target. **"JUNGLE AXES! TAKE FLIGHT!"**

Keenan lifted a hand and waved it like a conductor directing his orchestra. The axes, amazingly, heeded the eagle's commands and swarmed the boulder like a hive of angry bees. Each streak of light was an axe making a pass and cutting into the stone behemoth. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of the boulder but small pebbles.

"Excellent! You channeled the Bison spirit!" Master Bise praised.

Keenan looked at the decimated boulder in front of him and he slowly blinked twice at the sight. Not because of the sight itself, but because HE made it so.

"I... did it! I really did it! Sweet!" Keenan yelled with pumped fists. "I feel so powerful!"

"I have to admit, I've never seen anyone combine two spirits before, but you just surpassed my expectations!" Master Bise said as he placed a hand on his student's shoulder. As the pair celebrated, a foreboding sensation hit Master Bise. "I think you're about to take your final exam. Something's going on in the city!"

"Okay, wish me luck! And thanks!" Keenan nodded as he left his mentor to help his friends.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile...

The plaza was filled with unwary shoppers as Camille and Scaraboss appeared in the middle of the square much to the horror of everyone there.

"Oh, these humans are doing it all wrong." Camille sighed amidst all the screams.

"Doing what all wrong? Screaming and running like chickens with their heads cut off?" Scaraboss asked confused. "Looks right to me!"

"No, I mean their shopping." The wily lizard woman smirked. "They're supposed to shop... till they drop!" She said with a knowing smirk to her cohort who let out an evil laugh.

"I like how you think, Sugar Britches!" Scaraboss' horn glowed and his back plates opened up to release his little beetles. "Come on out, ya little spotters! Suck the life outta every human here!"

On command, the tiny beetles swarmed and latched on the any person they came in contact with and sapped their life energy. One by one, people collapsed into a heap around Camille and her muscle.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the loft, the activity in the plaza didn't go unnoticed. The alarms blared as the images of the chaos appeared on RJ's quintet of screens.

"Whoa, major trouble at the plaza and I'm not talking a riot at the bridal shop!" RJ said half serious, but also half joking.

The sight of everyone falling victim to Scaraboss' energy sucking beetles horrified everyone in the loft.

"Aw, man! Everyone's dropping like flies!" Theo gasped.

"A bug reference? Really, Theo?" Lily cringed.

"Sorry, couldn't stop myself." The blue jaguar shrugged.

"Never mind that." Gwen urged. "Those people need help and at the rate they're getting sapped, we don't have any time to waste!"

"Without Keenan?" Casey wondered aloud. "For all we know, he might not even come back."

The black panther looked at the other rangers and sighed.

"Guys, I know my brother better than anyone. No matter what happened between us, he's always had my back. I know he'll have it when we go out there."

"You're awfully sure about that, aren't you?" Theo asked skeptically.

"Positive. Teammates... family... it's all the same." Gwen nodded. "Now, let's book!"

before she was met with any resistance, Gwen grabbed a vine, rappelled from wall to wall and swung through the portal over RJ's viewing area. Casey and company followed suit and swung out of the loft to head for the plaza.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The normally bustling plaza was now littered with the near-lifeless bodies of the citizens of Ocean Bluff as Camille and Scaraboss gloated over their victory.

"You lightweights make me sick!" Scaraboss taunted. "See this is why we should be runnin' this planet instead of you bow-legged sacks of flesh! You're soft! You didn't have a snowball's chance of standing up to me!"

"Let's see if we can change that!" Casey shouted. Soon, four of the 5 rangers rushed in fully suited and ready for battle. Camille scanned the foursome and her gaze fell on her nemesis.

"So, Black Ranger. Where's your chicken of a brother?" The clever chameleon taunted. "He finally get his wings clipped?"

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut if for you!" Gwen snarled.

"Don't talk about him like that!" Lily shouted.

"If you little pipsqueaks think you can do something about it, **BRING IT ON!**" Scaraboss goaded.

"Gotta love it when they ask for it!" Theo nodded.

"Right! Let's get him!"

"You mean 'them'! **RINSHI!**" Camille ordered a horde of hopping minions to fight the rangers who brought out their primary weapons.

"Nice work! While, they fight, my spotters can suck on any stragglers!" The hulking beetle said as he eyed more victims.

"We need to finish this quick so we can stop him from snacking on more people!" Casey ordered as he dispatched his rinshi easily with his Jungle Chucks.

It didn't take long for the rangers to make short work of the rinshi before their focus was back on Camille and Scaraboss. Just as the large beetle set his sites on another victim, the rangers attacked him. Their weapons landed blows, but they were ineffective against Scaraboss' hard armor plating.

"What? Not a scratch!" Theo said in shock. "How's that possible?"

"It's called conditioning... and a hundred coats of carnauba wax!" The giant bug scoffed. "Now, take a look at what some good ol' training can get ya!" With a quick flex, Scaraboss used his massive forearms and biceps to clothesline the four rangers back into the wall of an outlet store nearly crashing through a plate glass window.

"Ugh! I don't do window shopping!" Gwen groaned as she got up. "I say we kick things up a notch! **JUNGLE KWON DAO!"**

"**JUNGLE FANS!"**

"**JUNGLE MACE!"**

"**SHARK SABERS!"**

"Hmmph! Amateurs! Take 'em down, spotters!" Scaraboss ordered.

More small beetles flew from his back and headed right to the rangers who tried in vain to swat them away with their weapons.

"That's it! Suck them dry!" Scaraboss ordered with a roar.

The small bugs did as told and soon, the rangers' suits were barely visible due to the beetles swarming all over them.

"I can't... get them... off!" Lily said weakly.

"They're... draining... me..." Theo said wearily.

"Can't... fight..." Gwen slurred.

Slowly, the rangers were losing energy and Scaraboss saw his chance to attack.

"Now to finish you off! **INSECTOID RAGE!**"

His wings fanned out behind him and before the rangers knew what hit them... he hit them. The hulking beetle zoomed forward and rammed his body into them with the force of a Mack truck. The momentum sent the crashing through a brick wall where the resulting debris trapped them from the shoulders down.

"I can't move!" Casey grunted as he and the others struggled to free themselves from their brick and mortar cocoons. Camille was beside herself with glee as she saw that her most hated enemies were completely helpless.

"Wonderful!" She squealed. "Oh, Dai Shi's going to shower us with praise!" She said as she took a whiff of her partner in evil. The scent nearly knocked her out as badly as he did the rangers. "Actually, you could use a shower, period. Ugh!"

"Aw, quit your bellyachin'! Beefcake tastes better with a little salt." Scaraboss said with a flex. "Anyway, which one do you want me off first? Which one did you say you hated the most, Sugar Britches?"

That made the rangers struggle even more because they knew who Camille was going to say.

"Little Miss Panther over there." Camille said with dripping contempt of her rival. "Take her out first... slow and painful."

"No, don't!" Lily screamed.

Gwen struggled to break free, but she, like the others, was still too weak from the beetles.

"Okay, little kitty cat! Kiss your nine lives goodbye!"

Scaraboss crept closer to the helpless black ranger as RJ watched from his loft. He wished he could do something to help her, but he didn't know what.

"Come on, Keenan. Where are you?" He whispered in the hopes that the eagle would live up to his name and swoop in for a timely rescue.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**END OF CHAPTER 3**

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Yikes! Buried up to their necks in brick debris and a gross beetle about to take out the black ranger? And where's her brother? He needs to get a move on! **I CAN'T DIE... AGAIN!** LOL Well, I'll be working on the next chapter as soon as I get some feed back! And keep the faith, I'm also working on more Love Across Time! I had to locate my files. I... kinda misplaced them. Don't judge me! LOL Anyway...

CIAO FOR NOW!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, y'all! I'm back from a VERY long hiatus! I know, I know, you hate me! I'm sorry! Lots of things had me sidetracked… including finding out I have an Ovarian Teratoma I need removed. Well, let's not dwell on the bad… let's finish this so I can go on to work on other PR chapters! Speaking of, let's get to the conclusion of **POWER OF THE BISON**!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Power Rangers, but I don't. If I did, I'd get better actors for Samurai. Anyhoo… ON WITH THE FIC!

* * *

Last time…

**_"Aw, quit your bellyachin'! Beefcake tastes better with a little salt." Scaraboss said with a flex. "Anyway, which one do you want me off first? Which one did you say you hated the most, Sugar Britches?"_**

**_That made the rangers struggle even more because they knew who Camille was going to say._**

**_"Little Miss Panther over there." Camille said with dripping contempt of her rival. "Take her out first... slow and painful."_**

**_"No, don't!" Lily screamed._**

**_Gwen struggled to break free, but she, like the others, was still too weak from the beetles._**

**_"Okay, little kitty cat! Kiss your nine lives goodbye!"_**

**_Scaraboss crept closer to the helpless black ranger as RJ watched from his loft. He wished he could do something to help her, but he didn't know what._**

**_"Come on, Keenan. Where are you?" He whispered in the hopes that the eagle would live up to his name and swoop in for a timely rescue._**

* * *

Camille cackled evilly as the rangers struggled to free themselves from the rocky prison that held them. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Scaraboss skulked closer to the helpless Black Ranger. Casey, Lily and Theo tried in vain to even move a pinky as they unwillingly watched as the hulking insect moved within striking distance. He raised his arms to deliver the deathblow to Gwen when two silvery streaks whizzed through the air. The entities slammed into Scaraboss and knocked him away from the Panther Ranger just in the nick of time.

"Whoa! What was that?" Casey asked in shock.

"I won't let you or anyone else destroy my family!" A voice rang out.

Everyone, including Camille and Scaraboss turned to the source of the voice.

"Who said that!?" The mammoth bug growled. Camille knew who it was and she stood in utter disbelief when the figure emerged from around the corner.

"No… it can't be!" She muttered.

"I think you called me a canary last time we met!" The Silver Ranger said, a smirk evident in his confident voice.

"Keenan!" Lily shouted happily.

"Actually, he called you a pigeon." Theo corrected.

"Not the time, Theo!" Gwen snarled weakly.

The two silver axes flew back into Keenan's hands as if on command. The wily chameleon just looked on semi-impressed.

"Well, look who flew back to the coop!" She taunted. "I thought you would have turned tail and flown South for the winter by now."

"And leave before I got to squash the two of you? That's no way to start a vacation!" Keenan shot back. The axes in his hand gleamed as the sunlight hit the blades. "Now, who's up for Round 2?"

"Now' you're speaking my language, pipsqueak! Game on!" Scaraboss laughed.

"Get 'em, bro!" Gwen shouted.

Keenan gave a nod to his big sister before charging at both enemies. With axes in hand, the silver eagle slashes at Camille and her armored henchman as they battle. The others still struggle to free themselves from the debris when a large figure appears behind them.

"Need a hand?" Master Bise grinned.

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Gwen chuckled wearily. The bovine master smirked as he effortlessly removed the heavy refuse from around the rangers. He grabbed Gwen first and helped her out before moving to the others. "Thanks."

"Yeah, thanks. But who are you?" Casey asked in a daze.

"Pai Zhuq Master Bise. Holder of the Bison Spirit." It didn't take much for him to show his master stripes since he didn't have any sleeves. Gwen and the other rangers bowed to him out of respect but being that they were still severely drained of energy, they almost fell over. Thankfully, Master Bise caught them before they kissed concrete and leaned them up against a wall that wasn't destroyed yet..

Scaraboss took some time out from fighting with the Silver Ranger to address the newest warrior on the field.

"Bison Spirit, huh?" He scoffed. "Bull! There ain't a spirit stronger than I am!"

"I must agree with him." Camille said as she fanned her hand in front of her nose vigorously.

"Oh, really? We'll see about that!" Keenan replied confidently. With renewed energy, he fought harder against Scaraboss and Camille. As the battle waged on, Master Bise noticed something in the giant bug's stances that revealed something important. He was protecting his horns.

"Of course! Keenan! Aim for the horns!" The muscular teacher ordered. "It's the only way to release the energy he stole!"

"I'm on it!" Keenan gripped his new weapons tightly and shouted… **"JUNGLE AXES TAKE FLIGHT!"** With two mighty heaves, he threw his axes at Scaraboss… but they whiz past him.

"HAHAHA! You missed!" The hulking beetle laughed. "You may be an eagle but you're as blind as a bat! That was pathetic! You really thought you were gonna beat me with aim like that?"

Just as he taunted Keenan, who just stood there with his arms folded, both axes changed direction and hurtled towards Scaraboss like a couple of runaway buzz saws. They came from behind and chopped of the beetle's horns much to the chagrin of Camille.

"Actually… yeah." Keenan smirked.

"NOOOOOOO! My horns!" Scaraboss wailed. **"YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WORK WENT INTO THOSE!? THEY WERE MY CHICK MAGNETS!"**

Streams of energy flowed from the stubs of his decapitated horns and wafted throughout the city. One by one, the people he stole life energy from were revived, including the rangers.

"Yeah, you did it, man!" Theo cheered.

"That's impossible!" Camille snarled.

"You just don't get it, do you?!" Keenan asked with a shake of his head. "As long as we're here, you guys will never prevail!" The Silver Ranger stood tall with his axes in hand as the others joined him.

"You wanna take him out, bro?" Gwen asked.

"Actually… I want all of us in on this."

Casey and the others gave their silver teammate a pat on the back as Master Bise nodded from the sidelines. He was pleased that his former student finally got the message.

"You heard him, guys! Let's get in on this!" Casey agreed. **"SHARK SABERS!"**

**"JUNGLE MACE!"**

**"JUNGLE FANS!"**

**"JUNGLE KWON DAO!**

**"JUNGLE AXES!"**

One by one, the rangers attack using each of their secondary weapons with the precision of a drill team. Keenan followed up the assault with a criss-cross slash with his new weapons.

**"I CAN'T BE BENCHED LIKE THIS!"** Scaraboss yelled as he fell backwards and exploded on the spot.

"It is better as a team." Keenan nodded.

"Don't rest on your laurels yet, rangers!" Master Bise warned.

As if on cue, indigo lightning and violet flames engulfed the beaten body of Scaraboss and he emerged from the rubble large and in charge… literally.

"It's gonna take more than that to keep me out of the pros!" Scaraboss snarled.

"That sounds like a challenge to us!" Casey shouted up to the now towering beetle. "Guys, time to hit the big leagues!"

**"ANIMAL SPIRITS! UNITE AS ONE!"**

Their namesake zords arrived en masse and come together to form the Primal Fury Megazord. And whenever the large robot appears, a small announcer makes his own entrance.

"And we're back with another epic battle between those resilient rangers and the lost member of the Beetles! Which one is he. that drummer Ringo replaced?" Flit asked as he buzzed around Camille's head.

"Not those Beatles, Flit!" Camille snarled in annoyance.

The Primal Fury Megazord goes on with a punch and a kick, but they get blocked my Scaraboss. It didn't help that his armor protected him from every attack.

"Keenan! Now's the time to use the power of the bison. Take it and crush him!" Master Bise ordered.

"Yes, Master!" Keenan nodded as he cracked his knuckles. "This is gonna be fun!"

**"CALLING THE SPORIT OF THE BISON! COMBINE!"** All of the rangers shouted. The sound of hooves echoed through the sky as a tan-colored mechanical bison thundered towards their megazord. He let out a loud bovine snort from his nostrils as his body glowed from within. The robotic bison's body split apart and reformed. The hind quarters snapped onto the Megazord's legs to form chaps while the head snapped onto the chest. The horns came off and formed the axes. **"PRIMAL FURY MEGAZORD WITH BISON POWER!"**

"Oh, I think someone's shell's about to get cracked!" Flit commented with a slight John Wayne impersonation. "With their new Zord power, these kids are an even more powerful force to be reckoned with, I reckon!"

"Don't you ever get tired of this?" Camille asked with a grunt. "In any rate, there's no way they can withstand Scaraboss' beetles at this size."

"Keep your eyes peeled, everyone!" Casey warned.

"Right. If he grew, so did his bugs." Gwen nodded.

"Ain't it amazing how fast kids grow up!?" Scaraboss asked. "Take a look!" The giant bug opened up his wing coverings and a horde of energy-sapping beetles is unleashed ready to steal the rangers' energy again.

"Great! And me without a bug zapper!" Lily cringed.

"Who needs bug zappers when we have these?" Keenan smirked and the Megazord held up its large axes in preparation. When the swarm closed in, the Primal Fury megazord used its cheetah speed and chopped every bug out of the sky before they reached them. "Better than flyswatters anyday!"

"INCREDIBLE! Those axes split up those beetles faster than Yoko Ono!" Flit shouted in excitement.

"Who?" Camille asked.

"Pop culture, Camille. KEEP UP!" The fly commentator scolded.

"NO! Not again!" Scaraboss growled. "You cut my babies from the team again!"

"Now we're about to retire you permanently!" Gwen chimed in.

"I'm about ready to wrap this up!" Theo nodded.

"Yeah. Let's put these horns to proper use! Stampede?" Keenan suggested.

"Stampede!" The others agreed.

"Oh, my! I see the megazord taking a runner's stance and that can only mean one thing! They're gonna do my favorite move!" Flit buzzed around like a model plane with a busted controller. "And with the addition of those horns, this one's gonna be a doozy!"

**"JUNGLE STAMPEDE!"**

The megazord's body rushed forward in its usual fashion but this time, it rammed into the towering bug's body. Its horns impaled the beast and took him for a ride. What made this stampede unique was how the megazord skidded to a stop. The inertia caused Scaraboss to fly off of the horns and crash into the ground.

**"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"** With that, Scaraboss exploded and his run in the big leagues was finally over.

"And another one bites the dust!" Flit danced in celebration. Camille just growled and grabbed her buggy friend before vanishing to deliver the bad news to her superiors.

"Well done, Keenan!" master Bise praised.

"Thanks, Master." Keenan bowed. "And thank you for sticking by me, guys."

"Anytime, bro." Gwen said with a nod. "Just remember you're not in this alone."

"I know. I've learned my lesson." The Silver Eagle replied.

"Good. Now let's get back to the loft. I'm sure RJ wants to meet Master Bise." Casey chimed in.

Back at the loft…

"Did you see us, RJ?" Theo asked as he ran in.

"Did I ever? I couldn't keep my eyes off of the screens." RJ answered in his Zen demeanor. "It was mind-blowing! You taught him well, Master Bise."

"It wasn't easy. The boy has a stubborn streak like you wouldn't believe." The bovine master chuckled. "But he's got a good heart."

During the post battle pep talk, Keenan sat on one of the workout benches and admired his new weapons when Gwen walked over and sat next to her younger brother.

"So… you finally got your new weapons." She began. "Was it worth biting all of our heads off?"

Keenan looked up to see his sister smirking at him and the eagle knew he was going to eat some crow.

"No. I get it now. I know it's not the weapon that makes a great warrior." Keenan admitted. "I'm sorry for snapping at you guys. Especially you, sis."

By this time, the others walked over and stood around the siblings.

"Well, what do you guys think? Should we forgive him?" RJ smirked.

"Yeah, I forgive him." Lily smiled brightly.

"Me, too." Casey agreed.

"Me, three." Theo added.

Gwen wasn't in a rush to put her two cents in yet and it worried the younger cubs.

"Gwen?" Theo prodded.

The black panther just looked at her brother and put him in a headlock before giving him a noogie.

"HEY! WATCH THE HAIR!" Keenan laughed as Gwen let him go.

"Consider that payback for earlier!" Gwen smirked. "But yeah, I forgive you." The two siblings hug in front of a compassionate audience.

"Thanks, sis. Now, on to other business." Keenan smirked. "I was at the animal hospital and one of the nurses told me that a certain cheetah cub was missing." He, and everyone else, cast their eyes right at Lily. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"About what?" Lily asked.

Gwen just folded her arms and uttered three words to the yellow ranger.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lily fibbed.

Gwen was about to say something when she heard a familiar chirp. Everyone followed the tiny sound and found the source. It was everyone's favorite furball, Makomba playing with the laces of Master Bise's boots. The head vet and black ranger turned to face Lily and cleared her throat.

"Really?" She asked.

Lily's eyes darted back and forth and she stammered:

"See, the thing is… uh… what I mean is… it's a funny story!" The cheetah laughed nervously before bolting out of the room.

"GET BACK HERE, LILY!" Gwen laughed and soon they all gave chase… including a frisky cheetah cub.

* * *

END OF POWER OF THE BISON

I hope this was worth the wait, guys! I'm SO sorry for taking so long, but with this out of the way, I can hopefully get to work on the next installment of this series: **PRJF: RANGER TROUBLE, DANGER DOUBLE**! Hope you guys haven't forgotten me! Please, read, review and pass it on! Till then… CIAO FOR NOW


End file.
